Till not so long ago, ordering a meal was a take-what-you-get affair. A toss up between pizza, MSG-infused Chinese and dosa. Then along came technology, and businesses like Holachef and Biteclub, with their promises of fresh ghar ka khana made by talented chefs. Each website has a stable of chefs who are adept at certain kinds of cuisines. Everyday they draw up their menus, which are posted on the website. You choose your delivery timeslot and wait for the food to arrive. But does it actually work? That’s what we decided to find out. So after poring over the Holachef menu, we ordered a mix of dishes that emerged from six different kitchens. Considering the complicated order, the delivery was punct­ual. The packaging was professional. Our only quibble was with the quality of food, which varied depending on the chef.

The wows: The Pomegranate cooler (Rs 50) was fresh, zingy and an excellent way to battle the heat. Our Punjabi meal (Rs 220)—dry-mixed vegetable, Amritsari chhole, rice and chapatis—was as delicious and homey as it should be. Similarly, the roasted chicken, served with parsley rice, potato scallops and corn salad (Rs 350) was substantial and tasty. The Mac and Cheese (Rs 250) by the same chef was an enormous hit too. And the chicken breast stuffed with chicken mousse and served with sauteed vegetables (Rs 350) went down a treat.

The oks: The fattoush salad (Rs 150) was fresh and crunchy, but the dressing was flat. The rogan josh (Rs 300) was saturated with garam masala. As was the bhindi masala that came with the dal makhani, chapatis and jeera rice (Rs 220).

Even so, Holachef worked well for an affordable, nutritious meal. And if you become a regular and identify your favourite chefs and dishes, it will work even better.